$1.5 Billion Investment Into B.C. Ski Area!

Two hours east of Vancouver, the small ski area known as Hemlock Resort just got the greenlight for a half century, $1.5 billion expansion.

That’s right. $1.5 BILLION.

The expansion will be the most significant resort expansion in British Columbia since the merger of Whistler and Blackcomb in 1997. The groups responsible for the development are Berezan Management Ltd along with the Sts’ailes First Nation, and the environmental assessment was completed by Pottinger Gaherty environmental consulting firm, reports CKNW News.

As laid out in the Hemlock Master Plan, improvements include a drastic increase in resort lodging with an estimated 20,000 rooms as well as 23 new chairlifts among a laundry list of other developments including an 18-hole golf course and mountain biking trail systems.

Photo Credit: Hemlock Resort Master Plan (2010)

However, critics are wondering if Hemlock has the meteorological positioning to be a long-term option for skiers across BC. That criticism comes after this past year, when low snowfall totals forced Hemlock to shut its doors for the entire season.

“The way these areas are physically tied together makes the development very feasable. It also enables the creation of facilities that will cater to sense of exploring, adventure and escape, different than the “yo-yo” skiing found at so many other ski areas.”– Hemlock Master Plan (2010)

Yet with increased snowmaking, higher elevation lifts, and a partnership with local businesses and communities, Hemlock proponents are confident they will be able to draw significant skier visits from the over 600,000 residents of nearby Vancouver.

In an interview with CKNW News-Talk, owner Ralph Breznan commented on the audacity of the project saying, “Hopefully I’m around for the first 5-10 years of it, so my family will have to do most of the work. Ambitious, well it seems ambitious, but if you take it over 50 years, it’s not that ambitious.”